Mother's Day Mayhem: 19 Shot in 7th Ward Second Line (Updated)

A Mother’s Day second line turned sinister today when 19 were injured, including a 10-year-old girl, according to preliminary reports. The Original Big Seven second line began at about 1pm at Roman and Elysian Fields, and ended shortly afterwards on N. Villere and Frenchmen, where the shooting occurred at approximately 1:47pm.

A full compliment of ten officers were walking with the second line when shots were fired, according to NOPD Chief Ronal Serpas. Officers saw three people running towards Frenchmen and Claiborne after the incident, and witnesses were able to provide a description of one of the suspects.

One of the three people who ran from the scene was described as a “dark-skinned male, 18-22 years old, with short hair, wearing a white shirt and blue jean shorts,” said Serpas.

The Chief said the midday shooting was unexpected. “These are unusual circumstances, we have second lines that occur in the city of New Orleans virtually every weekend at this time of year."

“What frustrates all of us is the selfishness of some people. The great culture of this city sometimes stumbles a bit because of the selfish behavior of some people,” said Serpas.

The Chief said that it is “without doubt” that NOPD will locate the people responsible for today’s crimes.

Anyone will information about the incident can call CrimeStoppers at 822-1111.

One of the second line attendees recorded the incident through his Vine account, and tweeted out the recording minutes later.

Police released new details on the shooting, which left 18 injured. Ten adult males, seven adult females, a 10-year-old male, and a 10-year-old female were all wounded by gunfire. One of the victims is New Orleans culture chronicler, Deb "Big Red" Cotton. The youngest victims suffered graze wounds, and they are in good condition, according to police. A male adult and a female adult are in surgery at this time. There have been no fatalities, and most of the wounds are not life threatening.

Crimestoppers has doubled the reward to $5000 for information leading to the indictment(s) of those responsible for today's shooting. In addition, Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms added another $5000, bringing the potential reward to $10,000. Call CrimeStoppers with an anonymous tip at 822-1111.